We all revere Kobe as an incredible leader. But Phil seems to think MJ had him beat:

“One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael’s superior skills as a leader. Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence.  Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he’d yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had in his bones.”

Granted, over the years Bryant grew into his leadership role, and as of late, has been praised for his ability to bring the best out in his comrades. Another thing Phil talked about, which isn’t that surprising, is Bryant’s insufficient defense:

“No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender. He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense. In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price.”

Kobe responded to the news today of Phil’s comparisons via his Twitter, stating:

“The comparisons are #apples2oranges,” the tweet said. “Wonder what the perception would be if M played wit @shaq instead #differentroles #differentcareerpaths.”

To catch more on what Phil Jackson spoke about, watch his segment last night with Jay Leno. The former head coach touched upon Jordan and his off the court leadership and the difference between him and Kobe in that regard. He also explained what happened when the Lakers chose to hire Mike D’Antoni as head coach over him.

Lakers Nation News

Lakers News: Jeanie Buss Says She Takes Kobe Over Jordan

Free Agent Profile: Would J.J. Redick Take Less Money To Play In LA?

Drew League Gearing Up For 40th Season in Los Angeles

Video: Phil Jackson Compares Jordan and Bryant With Jay Leno

Lakers Rumors: L.A. Looking For Trade to Move Up in NBA Draft?

Video: Phil Jackson Explains Lakers Coaching Hire on Tonight Show

Lakers Nation Reacts: Should Kevin Durant Receive More Blame?

Lakers News

Lakers 2013 Free Agency Discussion: Raja Bell [Silver Screen and Roll]

Stealing the Phoenix Suns Training Staff Would be the Next Evolution of Big Market Muscle for the Lakers [Silver Screen and Roll]

Phil Jackson Discusses Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers in New Book [Silver Screen and Roll]

Kobe Makes the Big Bucks [LA Times]

Player Capsule: Jodie Meeks [Los Angeles Lakers]

The Other Side Of K.O.B.E. [The Sports Fan Journal]

Kobe Bryant vs Michael Jordan: Phil Jackson Throws Book at Kobe [latimes.com]

Player Capsule: Dwight Howard [THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS]

Kobe Bryant Once Took a Dip in Shark-Infested Waters, Because He’s Kobe Bryant [Ball Don't Lie]

Jackson Book: MJ Over Kobe [ESPN]

Podcast: Questions Surrounding Dwight Howard, Poor Disney World Ethics, Sleepover Crime [Land O Lakers]

Kobe Bryant’s Shooting Habits Aren’t What You Might Think They Are [Forum Blue and Gold]

The Secret History of Kobe Bryant’s Rap Career [Grantland]

Kobe Bryant is Highest-Paid Athlete in L.A. [latimes.com]

Possible Lakers Free-Agent Targets [Lakers Index]

Podcast: Bring It To The Altar – The NBA Playoffs Edition [The Sports Fan Journal]

The Lakers Are in for an Un-Lakerslike Summer [Land O Lakers]

NBA News

The Exact Moment The Derrick Rose Situation Went Wrong [Dime Magazine]

Postseason MVP Rankings: 1-2 [ESPN Insider]

Spurs Hold Off Warriors, Advance to West finals [Yahoo! Sports]

Scottie Pippen: “LeBron Would Kick MJ’s Ass” (Via Alonzo Mourning) [Dime Magazine]

A Disappointing End for Durant, but Maybe a Necessary One [CBSSports.com]

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder [ESPN]

Examining Warriors’ Playoff run [5 on 5]

Harrison Barnes Is Finally Becoming The Player We Thought He Would Be [The Sports Fan Journal]

Seattle Media Enraged by NBA Commissioner David Stern’s Oklahoma City Thunder Comment [The Point Forward]

Pelicans’ New Practice Center Taking Shape [NBA.com]

NBA Draft Prospect Works Out With Greg Oden, Says He Looks “Unbelievable” [Dime Magazine]

Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat [ESPN]

Reggie Miller Wants a Front-Office NBA Job [CBSSports.com]

Why Do the Knicks Keep Playing Jason Kidd? [ProBasketballTalk]

Hawks Consider Historic Hire of European Coach Ettore Messina [Yahoo! Sports]

J.R. Smith of New York Knicks Shoulders Blame [ESPN New York]

NBA Pre-Draft Camp’s Players to Watch, Including Five Sleepers [Yahoo! Sports]

Doc Rivers Will Return as Celtics Coach [ProBasketballTalk]

What’s Next for the Warriors? [ESPN Insider]

Mike Greenberg, Dwyane Wade And The Clothes That Make Men [The Sports Fan Journal]

Small Ball, No George Hill, Enough for Knicks to Win, Stave Off Elimination [ProBasketballTalk]

Lessons Learned About Miami Heat as They Advance to Eastern Conference Finals [The Point Forward]

Pacers’ Depth of Options Leave Knicks Guessing Wrong Again [SI.com]

Manu Ginobili Breaks Harrison Barnes’ Ankles With A Behind-The-Back Dribble [House of Highlights]

Lindsey Hunter Discusses Suns’ Coaching Job with New GM [Yahoo! Sports]

Tyson Chandler Destroys Tyler Hansbrough’s Layup Into The Stands [Dime Magazine]

Seattle Still Without NBA After Relocation Denied [NBA.com]

Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas Mavericks Plans to Take Huge Pay Cut [ESPN Dallas]

Jackson compared the two NBA legends in terms of their defensive abilities, leadership, their personality, physique and ability to be clutch in key situations.

From his book, Phil clearly gave the nod to Jordan, but this afternoon his fiancee and Lakers executive vice president Jeanie Buss weighed in on the debate:

@philjackson11 Phil, in regards to Kobe vs. MJ – KOBE IS THE BEST. My humble opinion. @kobebryant#Lakers

— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) May 17, 2013

Earlier today, Phil said that he was blessed to coach both of the legends while Kobe wondered aloud on Twitter if Jordan’s perception would’ve been different if he played with a dominant player like Shaq.

It’s not surprising that Buss would tweet her support for Bryant as multiple media outlets have debated continued the Bryant vs. Jordan debate.

Jackson’s book is set to hit bookstores next week and it’ll be interesting to see what else he’s written on his book. Last night, Jackson made an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno and stated his interest in a front-office position with an NBA organization.

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Have You Seen Our Top 5 Kobe Dunks Of The 2012-2013 Season? If not, check out our video below and don’t forget to click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been made clear that the Lakers won’t have much cap space this summer, but it’s fun to think that players would take less money to sign with the team.

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The latest candidate is current Bucks guard and free agent J.J. Redick, who was traded to Milwaukee from Orlando at the trade deadline this season and would be an ideal candidate for Mike D’Antoni’s system.

Gery Woelfel of the Milwaukee Journal Times suggest Redick looks to be moving on:

“There is growing sentiment Bucks backup guard J.J. Redick, who is an unrestricted free agent, will sign with another team in July”.

With the Lakers bench being as bad as it was last year, Redick would be a huge upgrade over Jodie Meeks at the backup shooting guard position.

Where He Fits With the Lakers:

Unlike Meeks, Redick can create his own shot as well as be a pure spot-up shooter. This season, Redick shot 43 percent from the field and 37 percent from behind the arc.

Redick would give the Lakers an instant scoring option off the bench and while Kobe rehabs from his Achilles injury, he would do a nice job in the starting lineup. Plus, if the Lakers are to re-sign Dwight Howard, Redick would have a familiarity with him and his ability to pass out of the post.

In averaging 14.1 points last season, Redick established a career high in points this season as he’s come into his own as an NBA player.

Likely Suitors:

Teams like the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz are possible suitors for Redick as both teams desperately need a knock-down shooter. Redick would fit both systems as he would take O.J. Mayo’s place in Dallas and the Jazz didn’t have a good shooting guard all season.

Projected Salary:

$6-9 million

Prediction:

It’d be a stunning turn of events if Redick did indeed find himself donning the Laker purple and gold. He makes way too much money for the Lakers’ salary cap, but he’s exactly what the team needs.

He’s transformed himself into a starting shooting guard in the league and he will sign with a team that gives him the opportunity to start.

Los Angeles is a hotbed for untapped basketball talent and the goal of the Drew League is to show off the basketball culture in the City of Angels.

However, the league isn’t just for amateurs as several college and NBA players find themselves playing games. DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, J.R. Smith, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, James Harden and even Kobe Bryant have played in Drew League games.

The games are highly competitive and will be played from 10 am until 6 pm every weekend. College players are eligible to play in mid-June as this year should be another highly competitive season.

During the NBA lockout, the Drew League was a hotbed for NBA players. Brandon Jennings and DeRozan would tweet about their experience as it was a way for players to stay in game shape.

28 teams take part in the league as there are several blogs that come to LA in order to cover the stars. The Drew League website has standings, top performers and pictures from all the action.

In what was one of the most iconic Drew League games, Kobe showed up for a game and ended up hitting a game-winning shot against James Harden:

With more and more stars hearing about the Drew League, this summer should be the most exciting season in the Drew League’s 40-year history.

Not only will college and NBA players participate, but Chris Brown and other people in the music industry will try their hand in playing against great basketball competition.

With a full slate of games for this weekend, it’s safe to say the Drew League will be a prominent talking point during the summer.

—- Commemorate Phil Jackson, the greatest coach of all-time with this wallpaper! —-

Jackson coached Jordan and Bryant during their primes and guided the two players to every single one of their championship rings. Jordan won six titles under the Zen Master and Bryant has won all five of his championships with Jackson on the bench. If there is one person that can compare Jordan and Kobe, it’s the great Phil Jackson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_f3i5fDJ9c

Jackson stopped by the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and spoke more about the two stars. The Zen Master touched upon Jordan and his off the court leadership and the difference between him and Kobe in that regard. He also explained what happened when the Lakers chose to hire Mike D’Antoni as head coach over him.

There is great anticipation for Jackson’s book as it will surely be a must read for all basketball fans. Jackson is no doubt the most accomplished basketball coach in NBA history, and it will be interesting to read him look back at his career.

—————————————————————————————————————–

Have You Seen Our Top 5 Kobe Dunks Of The 2012-2013 Season? If not, check out our video below and don’t forget to click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

—- Commemorate Phil Jackson, the greatest coach of all-time with this wallpaper! —-

However, that didn’t come to fruition as the team hired D’Antoni, much to the chagrin of nearly every Lakers fan on the planet.

Jackson, who is now doing the media rounds to promote his newest book, Eleven Rings, stopped by The Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night to discuss the situation, and how that whole thing went down.

Phil made several tongue-in-cheek comments towards the front office, making it sound like he was interested in the job and wasn’t entirely thrilled when they went elsewhere with their decision.

With the front office still publicly behind D’Antoni, Jackson’s role with the team in the future is still up in the air. Still, it will be interesting to see how the team responds after some of these media interviews that Jackson is giving.

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The Atlanta Hawks, who have been brought up in Laker trade talks for the last few seasons, are also looking to improve their draft positioning, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports (h/t SportsCity.com).

“The Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks are said to be two such teams, with both supposedly exploring the idea of improving their draft position.

“[...] The Hawks own back-to-back picks in the first round (Nos. 17 and 18), and may be willing to package them together for the sake of moving up, insiders said.

“As for the Lakers, their lone pick doesn’t come until midway through the second round (No. 48 overall). But, as usual, they’re supposedly willing to trade big man Pau Gasol in attempt to get younger. That may mean obtaining a pick, a younger player and a contract.”

Gasol is clearly the most valuable asset that the Lakers have on the trading block at the moment. Gasol has been the center of trade talks for the last two seasons after he was traded to Houston by the Lakers in December of 2011 only to have the trade revoked by the league. With L.A. looking to get younger this off-season, moving Gasol for a high draft pick would seem logical.

Now all they have to do is find a willing trade partner.

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Have You Seen Our Top 5 Kobe Dunks Of The 2012-2013 Season? If not, check out our video below and don’t forget to click here to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

“Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around. Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn’t developed strong social skills in college.”

Jackson’s tone continues to somewhat favor Jordan. But in this newer book, the famed head coach has much more respect for Bryant. Kobe has been loyal to his mentor for sometime, and took to his Twitter today to give Jackson a nod. He posted an old picture of him and his former coach, briefly mentioning how their relationship has been repaired and is better than ever.

Need a history lesson? Today in 1980 marked a true moment of courage in Lakers basketball, when Magic Johnson stepped in to take over during Game 6 of the NBA finals after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar severely sprained his ankle in Game 5. Magic, the 6’9 rookie PG, had 42 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a perfect 14-14 from the free throw line. The Lakers won 23-107 over the Philadelphia 76ers. Magic became the first (and only) rookie to be named NBA Finals MVP.

Remember when Kobe exploded Twitter? On January 4th, 2013, Bryant made millions of Lakers’ fans ecstatic by tweeting the following, “the antisocial has become social #mambatweets,” and introducing himself to the world of social media. Within hours of his account creation, Kobe had hundreds of thousands of followers. Today? His count reaches 2,571,639… only four and a half months later. Now, the Mamba is a finalist in four of the nine categories that the fans can vote on for NBA awards, all of which have to do with social media. After his epic in game tweeting, Achilles updates and overall mastery of Twitter/Instagram in such a short period of time, Kobe is sure to win at least one.

Lakers Nation News

NBA News: Billy Hunter Plans To Sue Thunder Guard Derek Fisher

Kobe Bryant Apparently Likes Going Swimming With Sharks

Lakers Anniversary: Magic Johnson Scores 42 Points Against 76ers

Lakers News: Bryant’s Parents Say Kobe Lied About Memorabilia Claims

Curious Case of Derek Fisher: 5-Time Champion’s Time Running Out

Phil Jackson Compares Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in New Book

Kobe Bryant Nominated For ‘Social MVP’ In NBA Social Media Awards

Lakers News: Kobe Bryant Posts Picture of Himself, Phil Jackson

Lakers News

Stealing the Phoenix Suns Training Staff Would be the Next Evolution of Big Market Muscle for the Lakers [Silver Screen and Roll]

Phil Jackson Discusses Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Los Angeles Lakers in New Book, According to Reports [Silver Screen and Roll]

Lakers Free Agency Discussion: Corey Brewer [Silver Screen and Roll]

Phil Jackson Adds Brian Shaw to Detroit Pistons Head Coach Search, According to Report [Silver Screen and Roll]

Kobe Bryant’s Shooting Habits Aren’t What You Might Think They Are [Forum Blue and Gold]

Phil Jackson Never Liked to Compare Kobe Bryant to Michael Jordan [LA Times]

Trial Date Set for Kobe Bryant Case [ESPN]

Back to School with Jodie Meeks [THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS]

Possible Lakers Free-Agent Targets [ESPN]

Prodigal Son [Forum Blue and Gold]

NBA News

New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers [ESPN]

Rapid Reaction: Indiana Pacers 93, New York Knicks 82 [ESPN]

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies [ESPN]

2013 NBA Playoffs: Who Has the Edge in Semifinal Showdowns? [ESPN]

2013 NBA Playoffs: Evaluating All the Semifinal Series [ESPN]

Knicks Predictably Drop Game 4 to Pacers, Fall Behind 3-1 [ProBasketballTalk]

Woodson Searches For Answers, Comes Up Empty [Hang Time Blog]

Kings Saga Faces Possible Final Chapter in Dallas [Yahoo! Sports]

NBA Owners Board Still Prefers Sacramento Despite Maloofs [ESPN]

Rihanna Blasts J.R. Smith, New York Knicks In Instagram Rant [Sports City]

Playing Hard Simply Not Enough For Robinson, Bulls Against Heat [Hang Time Blog]

Prospective Kings Buyer and Seattle Owner Steve Ballmer is Reportedly Frustrating the NBA [Ball Don't Lie]

Milwaukee Bucks Considering Jerry Sloan [ESPN]

Dwyane Wade of Miami Heat Gets Knee Treatment, Listed as Questionable for Game 5 vs. Chicago Bulls [ESPN]

Without Russell Westbrook, it was going to be difficult for the Thunder, but most believed that the top seed in the Western Conference would eventually breakthrough and beat the Grizzlies.

However, Durant shot 5-21 from the field and miss the game-tying shot, a 17-foot wide open jumpshot, that would’ve sent the game to overtime. We asked Lakers Nation if Durant should receive more blame and the response is a bit surprising:

In our poll, 65 percent think Durant is getting the right amount of blame while the rest believe that he should be getting more attention for his missed shot.

Yes the Thunder didn’t have Westbrook, but the play from Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin are what let the team down in the end. Durant played all 48 minutes last night and went all Kobe Bryant by only resting for 17 minutes throughout the entire series as the Thunder fell way short of their expectations.

However, if LeBron or Kobe took the same shot and missed, the national media would’ve talked about their failure to close the game all day. For some reason, it seems like Durant is getting a pass due to the Westbrook injury as his inability to bring the Thunder to overtime hasn’t been criticized that much.

With their failure to reach the NBA Finals this year, Durant should return next year with a vengeance as he’ll have all summer to stew over that missed shot.

Hunter believes that Fisher and Hoir went behind his back and negotiated with a select group of owners that ultimately led to his dismissal as the head of the NBPA.

The lawsuit is 36 pages long and Hunter blames Fisher and Hoir for his eventual breach of contract, but it’s not certain if the case will go to court.

With high-profile cases, chances are that both sides will settle out of court if it needs to get that far. Fisher is still the players president of the NBPA and it’s unknown whether or not he’ll stay in that role going forward.

For more on the story, head over to SportsCity.com.

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In case you missed it, be sure to check out what Mark Madsen had to say about his new job!

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